The Government is considering moves to tighten legal and constitutional provisions which automatically grant nationality to babies born in the State.
This follows a large increase in applications by non-European Union nationals to remain in the country because they have Irish-born children. There are currently 5,500 outstanding applications from people to stay in Ireland on these grounds. The number of people allowed to remain in the country on this basis was 2,400 last year, up from 909 in 2000 and 1,272 in 1999.
Asylum seekers and non-EU nationals who have babies in Ireland can apply to stay in the country because of the combination of a 1990 Supreme Court ruling and changes made to the 1937 constitution as part of the Good Friday agreement. A 1956 nationality law states that anybody born on the whole island of Ireland is automatically an Irish citizen. "The legislation in the area of asylum and citizenship is under constant ongoing review," said a Department of Justice spokesman.
